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Tuesday, 2 August 2016

358) Tadoba Andhari National Park: Commemorative stamps brought out by India Post on International Tiger Day at Nagpur on 29.07.2016:

358) Tadoba Andhari National Park: Commemorative stamps brought out by India Post on International Tiger Day at Nagpur on 29.07.2016:On International Tiger Day, India Post has brought out a set of two stamps in the denominations of Rs. 25/- and Rs.5/- depicting tigers. The Stamp set was released at Nagpur on 29.07.2016:

This First Day Cover (FDC) is titled "Tadoba-Andhari Rashtriya Udyan" (in Hindi) and "Tadoba Andhari National Reserve" (in English). Two stamps in the denominations of Rs.25/- or 2500 Paise and Rs.5 or 500 Paise are affixed on the FDC depicting tigers. The Cancellation Stamp shows a tiger in the centre and is inscribed "Tadoba-Andhari Rashtriya Udyan" (in Hindi) and "Tadoba Andhari National Reverse" (in English). The Cancellation Stamp is of New Delhi GPO and is dated 29.07.2016.

This FDC has a Miniature Sheet Cancellation, all other specifications and cancellations remaining the same

This Miniature sheet of stamps shows two tigers on the move (Rs.5/- and a tigress with her cub (Rs.25/-). theRs.25/- Stamp. The picture of a tigress playing with her cub was taken by a wildlife photographer, Amol Bais from Nagpur, whose photo of the Tigress Maya playing with her cub at Tadoba Tiger Reserve/Tadoba National Park has been chosen for this stamp by India Post. This photo also appeared in UK's daily "The Mirror".

A Full Sheet of 45 Rs.25/- Stamps

A Full Sheet of 45 Rs.5/- Stamps

A composite image of the Full Sheets of Stamps, Miniature sheet and a Tiger on the move

The Information Brochure issued at the time of release of the stamps

Tadoba
Andhari National Park:

The Tadoba Andhari
National Park and Tiger Reserve is one of the finest & largest National
Parks in Maharashtra. It is an important Project Tiger Reserves in India.

This beautiful natural
area is situated close to Chandrapur District of Maharashtra.

In 1955, 116.55 sq
km of the area was declared as a National Park. Later, the Andhari Wildlife
Sanctuary was created in the adjacent forests in 1986.

In 1995, both the
Park & the Sanctuary were merged to establish he present Tiger Reserve.

Derivation
of the name of the National Park:

The name “Tadoba” is derived from the name
of the God “Tadoba” or “Taru”.

The Gond kings who once
ruled the forests in the vicinity of the Chimur Hills have a legend as to the
origins of the name of the forest – it is believed that Taru was a village
chief who was killed in a fierce encounter with a tiger and a shrine was built
in his memory.

The name “Andhari” derives from the
Andhari River which flows through the Park.

The Andhari River, Erai
Dam, Kolsa Lake, Junoria Lake and the Tadoba Lake form the lifeline of the
Park. The river and water storage systems provide year long supply of fresh
water to an amazing eco-system.

Besides, small water
bodies, rivulets and creeks also exist in the confines of the dense forests, in
plains and in the hills. Man-made watering holes and small dams in the Park add
to the life-sustaining environment. Ample availability of water translates into
the prolific bio-diversity of the region.

The
Forest spread and variety of Flora & Fauna found here:

A major portion of the
Tadoba forest is in the hilly area of the Chimur
Hills, while the Andhari Sanctuary covers Moharali and Kolsa ranges. As a result, there are many
hillocks and terrains which provide shelter to wild animals.

The Tadoba Andhari
National Park has an endless treasure trove of a large number of species of
trees & plants and wildlife.

A pre-dominance of teak and bamboo thickets
combines with a magical landscape of rugged cliffs, marshlands, lakes etc. and
presents a most scenic Wildlife destination. The large variety of flora and
fauna are a wild-life and forest lovers’ delight.

The vegetation of the
forest is of Southern tropical dry deciduous type. Teak is the prominent tree
species in the Tadoba forest. Some other common trees found in the Park are – Ain (Crocodile Bark), Bija, Dhaudab, Hald, Salai, Semal, Shisham, Mahua Madhuca (Crepe Myrtle) and Bamboo.
In addition, Axlewood Anogeissus latifolia, a fire-resistant species is also
found here along with Buteamonosperma, which adds vivid colours to this Forest.
Arjun trees (medicinal properties) are
also found at Panchadhara.

The Tadoba National Park
is a popular Tiger Reserve, nicknamed “The Land of the Tigers”, as a large
number of tigers are found here. The total land area under the Project Tiger
initiative covers the Core Area (Core Area denotes critical tiger habitat which
is subject to intense conservation measures with minimal human intervention)
and the Buffer Zone.

Historically, the Bengal
Tiger populated the Indian Sub-Continent some 12,000 years ago. The white tiger
is a recessive mutant of the Bengal Tiger. The Bengal Tiger is presently listed
under the “Endangered” category in the IUCN (International Union For Conservation
Of Nature and Natural Resources) red list of endangered species.

Technical
Data:

Name
of Issuer: Department of Posts, India

Denomination:
500 Paise or Rs.5/- and 2500 paise or Rs.25/-

No.
of Stamps printed: 0.30 million or 300,000

Miniature
Sheets printed: 0.1 million or 100,000

Printing
Process: Wet Offset

Printer:
Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

(The following description is excerpted from Sumita's post put up on our blog"Footloose" after our visit to the "Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve" in January 2014:(The link to this post is here: Jungle Safari in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve):"I am putting up this post before the thrill of visiting the
Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve ebbs. Situated in the Chandrapur district of
Maharashtra, it is the oldest and largest National Park of Maharashtra,
stretching over a good 625 km. Like most things in India it is dedicated to a
God called Tadoba worshipped by the Adivasis (tribals) of the area and the River Andhari which meanders through the park. Tadoba reserve forest, primarily
a Dry Deciduous forest, covers the Chimur Hills and is fed by the Tadoba and
Kolsa Lakes apart from the Andhari river. The forest is home to a number of
mammals including the Indian leopard, sloth bear, gaur, nilgai, dhole, striped
hyena, small Indian Civet, jungle cats, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer,
chital and chausingha apart from the stars of the show – the Bengal Tigers which
are currently 65 in number.

There are some 250 species of birds, including 3 endangered
species and 74 species of butterflies and many other insect species.

We went by train to Nagpur and then drove the 150 odd kms to
Tadoba. All bookings (including the safari)were done beforehand to avoid disappointment
as there is a great tourist rush especially on weekends. We stayed at a resort
called The Royal Tiger Resort, which proved to be a good choice. I was quite pleased
by their thoughtfulness of providing warm towels as soon as we returned from
the safaris and laying out the evening tea on the well maintained lawns. However
they did not provide accommodation to our driver who had to sleep in his
vehicle. A number of butterflies hovered on the flowers blooming around the lawn.

The workers tending the lawn made a colourful picture

Common Jezebel

Common Rose

A common skink trying to enter our room

A snake in the lawn trying to escape through the drain

We reached at lunch time on the 24th so had time
to explore around and also go for a ride in the night in the in what is called
the buffer zone. We were rewarded with the sighting of a Black Shouldered Kite
hovering in the air. Managed to take a video of it too. In the night ride two
sparkling lights led us to a Indian civet cat but none of us got a clear shot
of it. Also saw a ruddy mongoose slinking away.

Black Shouldered Kite "Kapshi"

The
next day we woke up early and got ready for the morning
safari in the forest which is the Core zone and access is closely
monitored by the Forest Department. There is a queue at the gate before
the gates open at 6.30 am as people
want to make the most of the 4 hours of safari. Our guide Vasant Sonule
was a
knowledgeable and jovial fellow and showed us birds we would have
normally
missed, as we are not allowed to get off the jeep during the safari.

Geared up for the safari - olive green is the color of choice

Heritage Lamp post to light the King's path

Spotted deer in the grass - first sighting

An Indian jungle night jar fast asleep

A mottled wood owl sleeping - blending in!

Adjutant cranes

So colourful but called grey jungle fowl

Crested Serpent Eagle

Jungle trails

A fireline i.e. a gap in the row of trees is maintained to have a controlled fire to burn the undergrowth.

Langurs and cheetal at the watering hole

A wild boar and a black headed Ibis at the watering hole

Camera fixed on a tree to monitor and ID the tigers passing by

We
saw the Malkoha (a rare bird) fly across. A white bellied drongo sat
tantalizingly above but nobody was in the mood to stop for me to take a
picture. Similar was the case with a Red Jungle Fowl. Alas! I had to be
satisfied with having seen them. There were of course plenty of common
birds like peacocks, green bee eaters, spotted doves, wagtails,
treepies, lesser whistling ducks, snipe, pied kingfishers hovering over
the lake, common and white-breasted kingfishers, pond heron, black ibis,
cormorants, grey heron, purple heron and bayback shrikes whose pictures
I am not putting up here.

We came back quite thrilled but had not sighted the elusive
tiger. One group reported seeing a female with 4 cubs which made us determined
to see one in the evening safari (foolishly so, as we were to find out). When in
a forest one should pay attention to all that one comes across instead of just
chasing an animal which has a mind of its own. So the evening trip was a little
disappointing till I saw a Barred Jungle Owlet and somehow managed to see the perfectly
camouflaged bird through my camera in the fading light.

Barking deer - has a distinctive call when it sees a predator

Barking deer -female

Sambhar

Chital - spotted deer

Clearings with no trees and open grasslands are deliberately left to facilitate deer hunting by the tigers

Ruddy mongoose

Barred jungle owlet - looked like the dried leaves of the tree it sat on.

A gum tree and a tendu tree growing together

Gum or Ghost tree - it changes color 3 times a year from white to red to green.

Animals sharpen their horns on this very hard wood tree

Ain or Crocodile bark tree

We returned feeling a little dejected having only seen the pug marks as proof of the tiger's presence.

This
cartoon displayed is most appropriate - the astrologer saying "nobody
can assure you a tiger...". The next day while a couple of people of our
group tried their luck on another safari we went bird watching outside
the core zone. But that warrants another post.

About Me

I am Rajeev Prasad, a retired State Bank of India officer who had been collecting coins in a shoe box without having a serious interest. Only after quitting my job I got the time to take serious interest in developing my coin collection into a hobby. A pity, because I would have had more opportunity to lay my hands on more 'exclusive coins' while in the Bank. Anyway, as they say,better late than never. If you have any views to share with me regarding this blog , please contact me on my email rajeevprasad1208@gmail.com. I also have a twitter account @prasad_rajeev.
I had an opportunity to participate in a Documentary on the life and times of the 25 paise coin titled “Chal Basi Chavanni” (The four anna/twenty five paise coin passes away), aired by STAR NEWS on 29th and 30th June 2011. The programme helped in making many persons hold back onto their “chavannis”, the little round beauties, instead of returning them to Banks .